1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as, cassette-type video tape recording and reproducing apparatus, and more particularly is directed to improvements in a cassette holding device for such apparatus having provision for the ejection of a cassette therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Existing video tape recording and reproducing apparatus generally comprise a tape guide drum having one or more rotary magnetic heads associated therewith to record or reproduce video signals on a magnetic tape which is usually wound on supply and take-up reels with the tape between such reels being wrapped about at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the drum and being driven by a cooperating capstan and pinch roller and by suitable rotation of the take-up reel. In preparing such a video tape recording and reproducing apparatus for operation, the tape extending between the supply and take-up reels, which are preferably contained in a cassette, must be placed around or wrapped about at least a portion of the periphery of the guide drum so that the tape will be guided thereby with respect to the rotary magnetic heads.
In order to avoid the obvious disadvangates of manually withdrawing the tape between the reels from the cassette and threading the tape about the guide drum and the various other guide members and between the pinch roller and capstan in preparation for a recording or reproducing operation, and of manually removing the tape from the guide drum and returning the tape to the cassette at the completion of such an operation, automatic tape loading and unloading devices have been proposed for performing the foregoing functions.
One type of previously proposed tape loading and unloading device for a cassette-type video signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus, for example, as disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,805, issued June 28, 1974, and having a common assignee herewith, includes a support ring which is turnable around the guide drum in a substantially horizontal arcuate path that extends under the cassette when the latter is operatively positioned by the holder therefor, tape engaging members including a pinch roller which project upwardly from the support ring so as to extend into an opening of the cassette for engagement with the tape therein when the ring is in an inactive or starting position, such tape engaging members drawing a loop of tape from the cassette and wrapping one side of the tape loop about the guide drum and between the pinch roller and a capstan upon turning of the ring to an operative position during a tape loading operation, while tape guiding members also mounted on the support ring are effective to hold the other side of the tape loop away from the guide drum when the support ring is in its operative position. In an unloading operation of the foregoing device, the support ring is turned from its operative position to its inactive or starting position and, during such turning of the support ring, the tape is unwrapped from about the guide drum and returned to the cassette operatively positioned within the holder.
With a tape loading and unloading device of the type described above, the holder for the cassette has to be mounted for movement between a raised position, at which the holder is above the tape engaging and guiding members on the support ring at its inactive position and also above reel drive members so that a cassette can be slidably installed in or discharged from the raised holder, and a lowered position at which the tape engaging and guiding members project upwardly from the support ring into the opening of the cassette operatively positioned in the lowered holder and the reel drive members also extend through openings in the base plate of the holder and the bottom of the cassette housing for engagement with the reels in the latter. Upon the completion of a tape unloading operation of the tape loading and unloading device, it is necessary to return the holder to its raised position so that the tape engaging and guiding members of the tape loading and unloading device and the reel drive members will be removed from the cassette housing to permit the slidable discharge of the cassette from the raised holder. In conventional cassette-type video tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a tape loading and unloading device as described above, the ejecting of a cassette from the apparatus at the completion of a recording or reproducing operation has required the performance of two successive acts by the operator, namely, the actuation of a suitable control to effect the unloading operation of the tape loading and unloading device and, upon the completion of such unloading operation, the manual movement of the cassette holder from its lowered or operative position to its raised position at which the cassette can be discharged therefrom. It is apparent that the need to perform two successive manual operations is undesirable. Therefore, it has been proposed to minimize the manual operations that have to be performed for ejecting a cassette from the apparatus upon the completion of a recording or reproducing operation thereof by providing a mechanism for raising the cassette holder from its operative position upon the completion of a tape unloading operation, which mechanism is driven by a respective motor, that is, a motor in addition to that provided in the apparatus for driving the rotary magnetic heads and capstan. Such additional electric motor is relatively costly and undesirably increases the weight of the apparatus.
It has further been proposed, for example, as disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,921, issued Sept. 3, 1974, and also having a common assignee herewith, to provide a video tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the described type with a cassette holding device having a cassette holder movable between a raised position for receiving and discharging a cassette and a lowered operative position, as aforesaid, and in which springs continuously urge the holder to its raised position and a locking mechanism is further provided for securing the holder in its lowered operative position against the force of such springs so long as the support ring of the tape loading and unloading device is displaced from its starting position. Thus, with the foregoing cassette holding device, upon the completion of a tape unloading operation and the consequent return of the support ring to its starting position, the locking mechanism is released to permit the cassette holder to be returned to its raised position by the force of the associated springs. Although the foregoing arrangement substantially facilitates the ejection of a cassette from the apparatus at the conclusion of a recording or reproducing operation, there is an inherent disadvantage in such arrangement. More specifically, after a cassette has been inserted in the holder at the raised position thereof, the operator has to forcibly depress the cassette holder to its lowered operative position and to manually hold the holder in such lowered position against the force of the previously mentioned springs until the support ring of the tape loading and unloading device has been turned sufficiently in the course of the tape loading operation to cause the locking mechanism to retain the cassette holder in its lowered operative position.